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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
Review also available at https://wordsmithantics.wordpress.com/2015/11/08/the-shepards-crown-by-terry-pratchett-discworld-41/
Deep in the Chalk, something is stirring. The owls and the foxes can sense it, and Tiffany Aching feels it in her boots. An old enemy is gathering strength. Tiffany and her Nac Mac Feegle's are once again battling a formidable foe; The Elves, reading to retake Discoworld for their own pleasures, under the new rule of Lord Peaseblossom. The now de-throned Queen Nightshade goes to the only person who could ever best her; witch of The Chalk, Tiffany Aching, to help her in the final Discworld novel.
Tiffany Aching is my favourite character in the Discworld novels, she is a witch because that is what she chose to be, and she is such a role-model for me as the kind of person id like to be. When she is named to successor to the late Esme Weatherwax, Tiffany struggles with her duel responsibilities to The Chalk and to Lancre, while trying to train her new witch, whose not really a witch but just a boy with calming abilities, and on top of that deciding what kind of witch she should be. If that was not enough for our young witch , the Elves are trying to take Discworld and together, witches must stand to face them.
As I read this book , I had a large sense of it being unfinished. Terry Pratchett's death was a great loss felt across the world and this book seems to have been only in it's early stage when he passes, I feel the obviousness of editing choices here and there, getting cameos of old characters in and trying tie loose ends, but its not Practchett writing, most of the early chapters do not flow correctly and the book barely feels complete. The underlying plot of Geoffrey is rushed and non-conclusive, his powers poorly demonstrated and in no universe would I believe he would be the one to inherit Esme's cottage.
I loved this book alot, even though I have slated it quite a bit, because I grew up on Discworld. It was home to be for much of my life and I will miss it, but I can always go back, even right to the start, to rediscover it all, The Unseen University, and Hex, The Night Watch, and the city where most things happen, Ankh-Morpork. Terry Pratchett gave the world something unique, somewhere where everyone has their place, full of wonder and strange, written in humbleness and comedy, and I for one, am grateful.
Deep in the Chalk, something is stirring. The owls and the foxes can sense it, and Tiffany Aching feels it in her boots. An old enemy is gathering strength. Tiffany and her Nac Mac Feegle's are once again battling a formidable foe; The Elves, reading to retake Discoworld for their own pleasures, under the new rule of Lord Peaseblossom. The now de-throned Queen Nightshade goes to the only person who could ever best her; witch of The Chalk, Tiffany Aching, to help her in the final Discworld novel.
Tiffany Aching is my favourite character in the Discworld novels, she is a witch because that is what she chose to be, and she is such a role-model for me as the kind of person id like to be. When she is named to successor to the late Esme Weatherwax, Tiffany struggles with her duel responsibilities to The Chalk and to Lancre, while trying to train her new witch, whose not really a witch but just a boy with calming abilities, and on top of that deciding what kind of witch she should be. If that was not enough for our young witch , the Elves are trying to take Discworld and together, witches must stand to face them.
As I read this book , I had a large sense of it being unfinished. Terry Pratchett's death was a great loss felt across the world and this book seems to have been only in it's early stage when he passes, I feel the obviousness of editing choices here and there, getting cameos of old characters in and trying tie loose ends, but its not Practchett writing, most of the early chapters do not flow correctly and the book barely feels complete. The underlying plot of Geoffrey is rushed and non-conclusive, his powers poorly demonstrated and in no universe would I believe he would be the one to inherit Esme's cottage.
I loved this book alot, even though I have slated it quite a bit, because I grew up on Discworld. It was home to be for much of my life and I will miss it, but I can always go back, even right to the start, to rediscover it all, The Unseen University, and Hex, The Night Watch, and the city where most things happen, Ankh-Morpork. Terry Pratchett gave the world something unique, somewhere where everyone has their place, full of wonder and strange, written in humbleness and comedy, and I for one, am grateful.
Enjoyable, but bittersweet in so many ways. I've had this for a while, but put off reading it, as the last book Terry Pratchett finished before his death. That made a certain character death at the beginning all the more poignant, and gave the whole thing a feel of "passing the torch". It apparently wasn't quite finished when he died, which makes me wonder if those who provided the finishing touches emphasized that theme more than Sir Terry himself would have.
It's lovely, and heartbreaking, and poignant ... and funny, too, despite all that.
It's lovely, and heartbreaking, and poignant ... and funny, too, despite all that.
В старой немецкой застольной шуточной песенке поётся о том, что всё в жизни имеет конец, и только у колбасы их два. Недавно мы вспоминали первые электронные устройства, на которых мы начинали читать книги, и я вспомнил "Дюну" на Palm Zire, первых "Гарри Поттеров" на Sony Clie SJ-20, а до того, весной 2000-го, на лекции по вычислительной математике ходили из всей группы только я и [её здесь нет], и однажды я поинтересовался, что это такое смешное она читает (а она смеялась в среднем раз в пять минут) - это и был Пратчетт. Правда, впервые я взялся за него на Sony Clie, а это было на три года позже.
И вот последняя книга цикла - разумеется, не самая сильная. Я, впрочем, не читал ещё "Raising Steams". Слабость книги спишем на конкретное поражение нервной системы автора. Впрочем, он в принципе писатель не ровный, бывали и раньше как всплески, так и спады. Гендерно-нейтральный персонаж? Ну ладно, докатились и до этого. Может, оно и хорошо, что дальше катиться некому и некуда.
И вот последняя книга цикла - разумеется, не самая сильная. Я, впрочем, не читал ещё "Raising Steams". Слабость книги спишем на конкретное поражение нервной системы автора. Впрочем, он в принципе писатель не ровный, бывали и раньше как всплески, так и спады. Гендерно-нейтральный персонаж? Ну ладно, докатились и до этого. Может, оно и хорошо, что дальше катиться некому и некуда.
It's not so much that I can't give this book a rating as I refuse to. It's the last ever Discworld story. It will forever hold a special place in my heart, I don't want to sully it with a poor star rating. I cried at you-know-what, and I cried when I read that final 'The End' but here's the thing. I understand that time and Death didn't allow for a final polish, but even with that in mind it's slightly off. The best way I can think of to describe it is to compare it to The Wizard of Oz (bear with me!) - a Discworld novel is usually like the scenes of the film shot in Glorious Technicolour; richly coloured and vividly brought to life. The Shepherd's Crown (and Raising Steam before it) is like the black and white scenes that bookend the film; flat and strangely insipid. It's not the Discworld I know and love, and I'm loath to even consider it as canon - for me the series ends at Snuff.
Everything Terry Pratchett writes is brilliant, especially when it comes to the Discworld witches. The afterword is worth a read too. The whole book felt like Pratchett offering his fans closure
Not many creators get the chance to say goodbye to their fans through their work. The interview after the book series or the TV show is cancelled, or the funding for the film series dries up, or the artist moves on to something else, is common enough. But creators don't always get the warning they need to wrap up their work neatly for fans.
Terry Pratchett did. He lived for eight years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and he managed to spend most of it still writing. And in his final Discworld novel, he makes a very specific point of illustrating how he felt about death, via the death of a major character, handled with no fuss but a great deal of respect from contemporaries, an old love, and even the animals of the forest. This book is a respectful elegy that he wrote for himself, and in that sense, it comes with a lot of deeply felt emotion and a tidy sense of endings.
In other respects, it's a frustrating book. A note at the end says that Pratchett finished this novel, but didn't have the chance for his usual fleshing-out process, where he'd go back through the book and build up the thin points. And it really shows: This is a book full of flat, declarative prose in some places, even around big, important events, though other parts are beautifully detailed. There are so many plot threads, and few of them get treated significantly. Probably any longtime Pratchett reader can see what this book might have been with a few more drafts, in terms of what scenes would have gotten more attention and polish. But as it is, at least he got to say goodbye, in detail and as he wished, with crisp clarity.
Full review here for NPR Books, exploring how the book teaches Terry Pratchett's fans what he thought of death, and how to deal with his.
Terry Pratchett did. He lived for eight years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and he managed to spend most of it still writing. And in his final Discworld novel, he makes a very specific point of illustrating how he felt about death, via the death of a major character, handled with no fuss but a great deal of respect from contemporaries, an old love, and even the animals of the forest. This book is a respectful elegy that he wrote for himself, and in that sense, it comes with a lot of deeply felt emotion and a tidy sense of endings.
In other respects, it's a frustrating book. A note at the end says that Pratchett finished this novel, but didn't have the chance for his usual fleshing-out process, where he'd go back through the book and build up the thin points. And it really shows: This is a book full of flat, declarative prose in some places, even around big, important events, though other parts are beautifully detailed. There are so many plot threads, and few of them get treated significantly. Probably any longtime Pratchett reader can see what this book might have been with a few more drafts, in terms of what scenes would have gotten more attention and polish. But as it is, at least he got to say goodbye, in detail and as he wished, with crisp clarity.
Full review here for NPR Books, exploring how the book teaches Terry Pratchett's fans what he thought of death, and how to deal with his.
I am never going to emotionally recover from this.
What a beautiful story.
GNU Terry Pratchett.
What a beautiful story.
GNU Terry Pratchett.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A fitting way to end the wonderful Discworld series. RIP Sir Terry.